Could Todd Akin Actually Be Electable? Poll Shows Akin-McCaskill Missouri US Senate Race is a Toss Up

 

Could the Missouri US Senate seat still be in play?

A week after the dust up and free for all when Republican Senate candidate Todd Aiken made the unfortunate phrase, “legitimate rape,” a poll has come out that shows the race is a dead heat. The most recent Democrat leaning PPP poll showed that incumbent Democrat McCaskill has support from 45% of likely Missouri voters compared with 44% for Akin.  Has the race gone back to a toss up from leans Obama?

Also 53% of Missouri voters, including 77% of Republicans, have accepted Mr. Akin’s apology for his comments. 54% think he should stay in the race, while just 37 percent think he should drop out.

Despite widespread assertions that Missouri Republican Rep. W. Todd Akin’s abortion remarks have made him a heavy underdog in the state’s U.S. Senate race, a Democratic-leaning polling firm released a poll Thursday showing him in a virtual dead heat with incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill.

According to the survey by Public Policy Polling, Mrs. McCaskill has support from 45 percent of likely Missouri voters compared with 44 percent for Mr. Akin, a result that differs strongly from polls conducted last week by other firms.

Mr. Akin has been widely condemned by Democrats and Republicans since he made comments in an Aug. 19 television interview, in which he tried to explain his opposition to abortion for rape victims by saying that pregnancy is rare in cases of “legitimate rape.”

The current Public Policy Poll seems to be much more credible than the one they did last week that had a +9 R sampling. Now the recent PPP poll has a much more realistic and credible sampling of +2R. Has the Democrat party and the liberal MSM pulled another “Wellstone Memorial”? Have they overplayed their hand and beat up on Akin so much that he is now a sympathetic victim? For those who have forgot, Democrats turned the funeral service for Paul Wellstone into a shameful and inappropriate political campaign event.

The question has to be asked, just how bad a candidate is Democrat Claire McCaskill and how bad does the Shoe Me state want to show McCaskill the door in 2012?

A majority of voters say they do not approve of the job McCaskill is doing, indicating that even if Akin gave the McCaskill campaign a gift with his statements, she still has a steep climb ahead to convince undecided and independent voters to back her. Only 11 percent of Republicans in the poll said they’d vote for McCaskill.



If you liked this post, you may also like these:

  • Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) in Deep trouble for Reelection, Trails All Three Republican Challengers Brunner, Steelman & Akin
  • After Rep. Todd Akin Ill Advised Comments on Rape, Mitt Romney, the GOP and Sean Hannity Ask Him to Step Down as Republican Senate Candidate in Missouri
  • Show Me State Could Show Incumbent Democrats the Door … Election 2012: Missouri President Missouri: Romney 48% – Obama 45% & Missouri Senate: Steelman (R) 49% – McCaskill (D) 42%
  • Show Me Primaries: Todd Akin Wins Missouri Republican US Senate Primary and Will Face Vulnerable Democrat McCaskill
  • WOW, Could the CT Senate Race Make Up for Missouri? Connecticut Senate Rasmussen Poll: McMahon (R) 49% – Murphy (D) 46%




  • Comments

    20 Responses to “Could Todd Akin Actually Be Electable? Poll Shows Akin-McCaskill Missouri US Senate Race is a Toss Up”

    1. Tamikosmom on August 31st, 2012 12:58 pm

      Until the recent uproar Paul Ryan and Todd Akin’s position on the protection of life from conception did not differ.

      Standing by convictions is often difficult and has consequences in a world where the Absolute Truth revealed in God’s Word is often disregarded but standing by convictions is right nevertheless.

      ++++++

      Paul Ryan’s abortion problem
      August 30, 2012

      Paul Ryan has got a problem. He has been forced by Mitt Romney to condone what he truly believes to be murder.

      His former position on abortion and his current position have changed so radically that it makes one doubt that he has any conscience of his convictions at all.

      Ryan co-sponsored legislation along with Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri, called “The Sanctity of Human Life Act,” which a fertilized egg “shall have all the legal and constitutional attributes and privileges of personhood.”

      According to NARAL Pro-Choice America, the devout Catholic has cast 60 votes in the House against abortion and other reproductive-rights issues.

      The advocacy group said he has co-sponsored legislation that would ban “abortion care in almost all cases, including rape or incest.”

      Ryan has said, “I’m very proud of my pro-life record, and I’ve always adopted the idea that … the method of conception doesn’t change the definition of life.”

      Read more:
      http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-faith/post/paul-ryans-abortion-problem/2012/08/30/1e1d34b2-f2d0-11e1-adc6-87dfa8eff430_blog.html
      .
      .
      Jeremiah 1:5
      “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”
      .
      .
      Psalm 139:13-16
      “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

    2. dawg1948 on August 31st, 2012 1:28 pm

      I don’t know if he is electable or not but I do know that Claire McCaskill has done far more harm in her tenure than the opinion Akin related, be it right or wrong. I think there are far more issues Akin has a better idea and plan on than McCaskill and she really needs to go.

    3. Tamikosmom on August 31st, 2012 2:06 pm

      “Conceived in Rape: From Worthless to Priceless”
      http://www.rebeccakiessling.com/from-worthless-to-priceless–what-rape-exceptions-.html

      “Except in Cases of Rape? 12 Stories of Survival”
      http://www.rebeccakiessling.com/get-the-dvd.html
      .
      .
      Welcome to St. Michael’s Media

      Saint Michael’s Media’s productions are endorsed by prominent members of the Catholic Church

      Fr. Kenneth Baker, Fr. Pablo Straub

      http://www.theonetruefaith.tv/index.php?nav=03&content=55

    4. Klaasend on August 31st, 2012 3:32 pm

      Not sure but it appears the Missouri Farm Bureau is rethinking their endorsement, which is unheard of:
      http://tinyurl.com/8hnma36

    5. Tamikosmom on August 31st, 2012 4:44 pm

      MFB to Reconsider Akin Endorsemen?

      Could it be that groups who endorse the Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan White House ticket may have a change of heart? Think about it. Why is Todd Akin being thrown under the bus? Paul Ryan … who up until last week when he did a sudden flip flop … embraced the same uncompromising position as Todd Akin regarding the protection of innocent life from the moment of conception … the life of the mother being the only exception.

      ++++++

      Paul Ryan Has a New Abortion Stance
      August 20, 2012

      Mr. Ryan was a co-sponsor of a House bill last year defining human life as beginning with fertilization and granting ‘personhood’ rights to embryos, a movement that supporters say will outlaw abortions in all cases, and may also restrict some forms of birth control.”

      All this is significant because it shows Ryan changing his own stance to fall in line with the Romney campaign, something he’s said previously he wouldn’t do.

      “You’ve got to stick to your principles,” he says.

      Read more:
      http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-election/paul-ryan-has-a-new-abortion-stance-20120820

    6. Tamikosmom on August 31st, 2012 7:47 pm

      All h— would break loose by the Republcan establishment if Karl Rove had been referencing Paul Ryan at the RNC fundraiser … Paul Ryan who … until his August 20th flip flop … embrace the same conviction as Todd Akin in regardings to the the protection of innocent life from the moment of conception. Why the double standard.
      .
      .
      Aug 31, 2012 5:44pm
      Todd Akin’s Office ‘Disturbed’ by Karl Rove’s Joke

      We should sink Todd Akin,” Rove said at a fundraiser during the Republican National Convention, according to a Bloomberg News report. “If he’s found mysteriously murdered, don’t look for my whereabouts!”

      http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/08/todd-akins-office-disturbed-by-karl-roves-joke/

    7. Tamikosmom on August 31st, 2012 10:03 pm

      Why does Paul Ryan contend that Todd Akin should step down for the good of the Republican Party while he personally embraces the same conviction on the abortion issue regarding rape but is willing to adhere to Mitt Romney’s position.
      .
      .
      PAUL RYAN – IN HIS OWN WORDS

      Paul Ryan Proclaims: Rape Is A ‘Method Of Conception’ [Video Interview]
      Posted: August 27, 2012

      Less than a week after Akin coined the term “legitimate rape” Paul Ryan referred to rape as a “method of conception.”

      Ryan started by proclaiming that he is “very proud” of his pro-life record and that the “method of conception doesn’t change the definition of life.”

      Paul Ryan further notes that Mitt Romney differs with his own views in that incest and rape should be treated differently than women who attempt to receive an abortion after consensual sex.

      Video:
      http://www.inquisitr.com/313738/paul-ryan-proclaims-rape-is-a-method-of-conception-video-interview/

    8. katablog.com on September 1st, 2012 1:34 pm

      Tamikosmom :You state that Akin and Ryan’s position on abortion are the same. You lie.

      While both may be against abortion (as am I), Ryan does not hold the position and has never said that there’s a difference in rape and “true rape”. Nor has Ryan ever purported that the rape victim wasn’t really raped if she becomes pregnant because her body could shut down the pregnancy. THAT is exactly why Akin is in trouble – not because he believes abortion is murder.

      your link title also lies. What Paul Ryan said was:

      Ryan started by proclaiming that he is “very proud” of his pro-life record and that the “method of conception doesn’t change the definition of life.”

      and again, Ryan is absolutely right. The method of conception does not change the FACT that a human life has been created. Have you seen an ultrasound of a baby at 6 weeks conception? It has arms, legs, head, fingers and toes and a beating heart.

      I’ll agree that the method of conception or even the health of the mother and/or baby certainly may change the desire of the mother to carry the baby, but it doesn’t change that it is a baby.

      and now back to Akin. I don’t think it’s so much that Akin is electable as it is that Claire McCaskil is not.

    9. Tamikosmom on September 1st, 2012 1:46 pm

      The double standard!! Why … for the most part … is the liberal mainstream media, prominent Democrats and Republicans who threw Todd Akin under the bus are currently silent in regards to Paul Ryan embracing the same conviction encompassing the “rape and abortion” issue?

      Could it be that Mitt Romney and Republicans realize there was an over-reaction regarding the negative response dumped on Todd Akin for an unfortunate lack of articulation in an interview and … the current silence implies the hope is the whole issue will go away and become yesterday’s headline?

      Could it be that the liberal media and Democrats have a plan … a plan that implies the pass which appears to currently be afforded Paul Ryan is nothing more than a false illusion?

      It is imparative that the Romney/Ryan camp does some serious damage control regarding this issue prior to the Democratic National Convention. IMO
      .
      .
      TODD AKIN

      Akin apologizes for rape comments
      August 20, 2012 2:04 PM

      Republican Rep. Todd Akin on Monday apologized for the controversial remarks he made over the weekend about abortion and rape, but he said he has no plans to drop out of the Missouri Senate race despite building pressure from within the GOP.

      “What I said was ill-conceived, and it was wrong,” Akin said on former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s radio show Monday. “I really just want to apologize to those that I’ve hurt.”

      The controversy started after Akin, a six-term Missouri conservative now running against Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, was asked in a local interview on Sunday whether he would support abortions for women who have been raped.

      “It seems to me first of all, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare,” Akin said in the interview. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down,” Akin said of a rape victim’s chances of becoming pregnant.

      Read more:
      http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57496599-503544/akin-apologizes-for-rape-comments-obama-says-rape-is-rape/

      PAUL RYAN

      Paul Ryan Calls Rape A ‘Method Of Conception,’ Echoes Controversial Todd Akin Comments [VIDEO]
      August 28, 2010

      Ryan was asked about the issue of rape and whether or not it should be legal for a woman to get an abortion if she had conceived through rape.

      “Well I’m very proud of my pro-life record, and I’ve always adopted the idea, the position, that the method of conception doesn’t change the definition of life.”

      Ryan was quick to pivot before commenting further on this sensitive subject.

      “But let’s remember, I’m joining the Romney-Ryan ticket, and the president makes policy, and the president — in this case, the future president, Mitt Romney — has exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother, which is a vast improvement [over] where we are right now.”

      Video:
      http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/378182/20120828/paul-ryan-rape-method-conception-todd-akin.htm

    10. Tamikosmom on September 1st, 2012 1:57 pm

      AN OVERREACTION

      Newt Gingrich defends Todd Akin
      8/30/2012

      http://www.humanevents.com/2012/08/30/newt-gingrich-defends-todd-akin/

    11. Tamikosmom on September 1st, 2012 2:13 pm

      Despite widespread assertions that Missouri Republican Rep. W. Todd Akin’s abortion remarks have made him a heavy underdog in the state’s U.S. Senate race, a Democratic-leaning polling firm released a poll Thursday showing him in a virtual dead heat with incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill.

      Posted August 31, 2012 by Scared Monkeys

      +++++++++

      Considering Todd Akin’s continued support among Missouri voters … could Mitt Romney’s refusal to discuss the issues encompassing his backlash against Todd Akin imply that damage control is happening behind the scenes?
      .
      .
      Romney Speaks With CBS4, But Not About Akin
      August 23, 2012 5:37 PM

      Former Gov. Mitt Romney continued his campaign push in swing state Colorado remotely on Thursday, granting one-on-one satellite interviews with four local reporters, including CBS4 Political Specialist Shaun Boyd.

      Romney’s campaign told Boyd prior to the start of the interview the candidate would not be fielding questions about Missouri Republican Senate candidate Rep. Todd Akin and the firestorm he created when he used the phrase “legitimate rape.”

      Romney denounced Akin’s comments earlier this week and called on him to drop out of his Senate race, but Akin so far has not backed down.

      http://denver.cbslocal.com/2012/08/23/mitt-romney-todd-akin-interview-cbs4-denver-shaun-boyd/

    12. Tamikosmom on September 1st, 2012 3:59 pm

      FOOD FOR THOUGHT

      August 30, 2012
      Focusing on the Real Abortion Issue

      While Todd Akin’s views are far from mainstream, they are far more mainstream than those of Obama and McCaskill on late-term abortion. Why should liberals be allowed to hide their extreme, gruesome opinions on aborting full-term infants while conservatives are brow-beaten for their views on preserving life? If one is forced to discuss extreme cases of abortion they should be sure to point out that if Akin were elected, his views would be far more humane than those of the liberals already in Washington.

      With these points in mind, the actions of GOP leadership regarding Todd Akin’s candidacy is idiotic, shameful and self destructive. Not only are they allowing the focus of the abortion discussion to be put on 1% on all abortion cases, they are aiding the left in working to re-elect a senator (McCaskill) with a 100% rating from NARAL by shunning a pro-life, Republican candidate. Instead of attempting to work to salvage a vital race in winning the senate, the GOP appears to have assured itself defeat while alienating its base.

      Read more:
      http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/08/focusing_on_the_real_abortion_issue.html

    13. Tamikosmom on September 2nd, 2012 7:39 pm

      Gingrich breaks with Romney on call for Akin to step aside
      September 2, 2012

      In an interview on whether abortion should be legal in cases of rape, Akin said, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” …

      Akin’s remark came at a time when President Obama has been highlighting Romney’s stand on abortion in an effort to maintain his lead among female voters. Romney, a former supporter of abortion rights, now opposes abortion except in cases of rape, incest or a threat to a mother’s life.

      On “Meet the Press,” Gingrich said Republicans would be in a stronger position in the debate over abortion if the media gave more attention to what he described as the extremism of the Democratic Party’s stand on the issue.

      “I think Todd Akin was the choice of the people of Missouri, and Todd Akin has publicly apologized,” Gingrich said.

      http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-todd-akin-romney-gingrich-20120902,0,264557.story

    14. Tamikosmom on September 2nd, 2012 7:48 pm

      Gingrich: Akin’s Gaffes No Worse Than Biden’s
      Sunday, 02 Sep 2012

      Gingrich also chastised Republican strategist Karl Rove for his comments about murdering Akin.

      “In the age of Gabby Giffords, it is not a joke to say that a member of Congress ought to get murdered,” he said. “I’m frankly fed up with the one-sided bias.”

      “How can [Joe] Biden remain as vice president?” he asked, referring to Biden’s comments about putting voters “back in chains” during a campaign rally in Virginia. “Where’s the outrage over over-deliberate racism?”

      Read more:
      http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/gingrich-akin-biden-rape/2012/09/02/id/450629

    15. Tamikosmom on September 2nd, 2012 8:18 pm

      Mike Huckabee’s entire statement is a must read.

      +++++

      Huckabee whacks Rove, citing Giffords
      9/2/12 9:56 AM EDT

      … There is no need that any of us have tire tracks on our backs. I’m very willing to work with Republicans and conservatives all over the spectrum even if they don’t agree with me on all issues or the priority of them. Can I count on them to work with me in the same spirit of respect?

      Hopefully, we will all play by the same set of rules. Todd erred, apologized, and we need to help him win, not convince ourselves he can’t. Karl erred, apologized, and we need to treat him in the way we want Todd Akin to be treated. If Todd is continued to be alienated and Karl doesn’t suffer the same fate, then I will encourage all the activists I can to spend all their time, money, and effort in Missouri. If the party doesn’t want us, then I guess they don’t need us. Akin will. Janet and I are sending him the maximum we can under federal law.

      http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/09/huckabee-whacks-rove-citing-giffords-134111.html

    16. RK on September 3rd, 2012 9:20 am

      #14: Akin was speaking from his heart and mind; his legislative record underscores his true beliefs about this topic.

      Biden made a gaffe; no one has suggested that Biden literally thinks anyone is going to be put “in chains.” He has no policies or political statements that would support the notion that he as a racist.

      Trying to compare these is a false equivalence, and is disingenuous commentary.
      ___________________
      SM: Disingenuous commentary, hey troll, go pound Oabma’s sand likeness. The point of the post was could Akin really make a comeback from such a witch hunt from the MSM and the GOP? If so, just how bad of a Senator is McCaskill?

      Biden did not make a gaffe, he was told to fan the flames of racism. That also is the record of the Obama/Biden record. Akin apologized, Biden did not. Of course not, because the liberal MSM and the sell out NAACP, Sharpton and Jackson where no where to be found.

      The only honest democrat was Charlie Rangel: Biden Was Talking About Slavery With Chains Comment (VIDEO)
      http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/08/24/rangel_biden_was_talking_about_slavery_with_chains_comment.html

      RK, as for what Akin said and tried to explain in a butchered way … ask Duke LAX if there is a such thing as “legitimate” rape? Also, as Al Sharpton and Tawana Brawley about “legitimate” rape.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_lacrosse_case
      The Duke lacrosse case is a common name given to a criminal investigation into a 2006 false accusation of rape made against three members of the men’s lacrosse team at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The fallout from the case’s resolution led to, among other things, the disbarment of lead prosecutor Mike Nifong.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tawana_Brawley_rape_allegations
      Tawana Brawley (born 1972) is an African-American woman from Wappingers Falls, New York. In 1987, at the age of 15, she received national media attention in the United States for falsely accusing six white men, some of whom were police officers, of having raped her. The accusations soon earned her notoriety, which was inflamed by Brawley’s advisers (including the Reverend Al Sharpton and attorneys Alton H. Maddox and C. Vernon Mason), the statements of various public officials, and intense media attention.

    17. RK on September 3rd, 2012 9:34 am

      #13: RE: ” “I think Todd Akin was the choice of the people of Missouri, and Todd Akin has publicly apologized,” Gingrich said. ”

      I totally agree that the legal and legitimate election process in Missouri (or any jurisdiction) needs to be honored and upheld, and that external political powers should not intercede in such matters. This is a non-partisan and universal belief.

      However, as to Akin making an apology, I have to disagree. He has offered what is referred to as an apology alright; but it lacks key aspects. The offered apology is only about one word (legitimate), which he has said should have been “forcible.” Sorry to burst his bubble, but this avoids the medical question he raised as to getting pregnant; his comments on that are unscientific, ridiculous,and false.

      Another reason his apology is empty is that he was speaking about his principles. You can’t apologize for a principle you hold unless you also refute and disavow that as a principle anymore. Of course, he has not said anything of the sort.

      This is not a matter of agreeing or disagreeing with his position from a political perspective; it speaks to the ability to be rational, logical, and consistent in his thoughts and words.

    18. RK on September 3rd, 2012 12:13 pm

      #16-SM: It’s too bad the commenters here can’t speak for themselves sometimes (apparently). I was hoping to see what Tamikosmom would have to say, but you stepped in to defend his position, so it’s difficult to say.

      I have to wonder if there will be any substance offed to refute my actual comments. Maybe, maybe not.
      _____________________________
      SM: RK, I can do anything I want on this site, I own it. And Guess what … “I BUILT IT”. The day you build a site, a cause and a following, you to can make the rules. Until then, “ferme la bouche” when it comes to how another runs their site.

      Tamikosmom can comments as she pleases and SHE will.

      If you do not like it, you can leave. You are provided 100% more than most posters are on Democrat sites. Stop your whining, you are starting to sound like Obama.

      You have to come to grips RK, you have no say to anything that goes on here. Sorry, you go out and build it and you get the say so. Its comical that you Libs think what you say matters especially in some one else’s house.
      R

    19. RK on September 3rd, 2012 3:38 pm

      Sorry if my comment was misunderstood. I was trying to address what Tamikosmom would or wouldn’t say. Now that I rethink it, I can see how it can be taken as you describe. :-(

      I freely admit the SM owners and builders are totally in charge of what they say here.

    20. Tamikosmom on September 10th, 2012 6:21 pm

      Could it be that Claire McCaskill’s extreme positions on the abortion issue be the reason she has been silent regarding Todd Akin’s lack of proper one word articulation to the media on the issue.

      ++++++

      McCaskill silent on Akin abortion stance
      Sunday, September 9, 2012

      Why has McCaskill not seized upon Akin’s remarks as the central point of her campaign?

      Perhaps because it is not politically wise to do so — at least not yet, and perhaps not ever. First, there is a matter of timing. She may be better off waiting to exploit Akin’s remarks until nearer to Election Day. Second, there’s a matter of substance. To highlight Akin’s remarks could stir a broader debate about abortion, which potentially could backfire on McCaskill.

      http://www.newstribune.com/news/2012/sep/09/mccaskill-silent-akin-abortion-stance/
      .
      .
      Exclusive: Rep. Todd Akin on ‘Your World’
      Published September 05, 2012

      AKIN: You have to decide when does life begin. And I have never apologized for being pro-life or understanding that life begins at conception. But I’ll tell you Claire McCaskill is completely on the other side of that spectrum. She supports abortions all the way through the ninth month and even the partial-birth abortion. She has not voted against that.

      http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/your-world-cavuto/2012/09/06/exclusive-rep-todd-akin-your-world

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